Swingable prop for conveyers



Dec. 12, 1950 ENSmGER 2,533,882

SWINGABLE PROP FOR CONVEYERS Filed Aug. 2, 1946 lNVENTOR O ATTORNEYSPatented Dec. 12, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,533,882 SWINGABLEPROP FOR CONVEYERS Earl H. Ensinger, Cleveland, Ohio ApplicationAugust2, 1946, Serial No. 687,883 5 Claims. (01. 198*233) Q My inventionrelates to portable conveyors of type adapted to be carried on a truckor other vehicle and designed for use in handling materials such ascoal, stone, and the like, in the load' ing and unloading of suchvehicles. Conveyors of this type are designed for manual handling by oneor two persons and are therefore of relatively light weight and easilyportable.

My invention consists of the provision of this type of portable conveyorwith novel swingable wheeled prop means which are positionable bygravitational action to-a position supporting the conveyor unit in araised position and which are also positionable by gravitational actionto a position supporting the conveyor unit in a lowered position.

My inventio involves a novel construction of the propmeans such that thepositioning of the prop unit by gravitational action to either of itspositions is accomplished merely by the raising, and manipulation of oneendof the conveyor unit manually by one person. In the: position oi theprop unit in which it is'capable of'supportingthe conveyor device inlowered position, the prop unit is folded adjacent the conveyor deviceand means are provided ior'lockingthe wheeled prop in this condition forcarrying of the conveyor unit on a truck: or other vehicle.

Other objects} advantages and ieatures'orthe invention willappear' fromthe-following detailed description. and accompanying drawingsr in which:

Figure l, is a side elevation of a conveyor: device embodying myinvention and illustrating the samewith the. prop. unit: disposed so. asto. support: the-conveyor device raised condition.

Figure 2 is a side elevation,v partlybroken away, showing. the. conveyordevice with. the'prop' uni-it in;- told'ad condition.

Figure Sis a section taken substantially om the line 3& of Figure 1:

Figure 4. is aseetion taken substantially'on the line 4-4 of Figure 3:.v

Now referring tothe drawing; and. describing he. invention in detail;the conveyor unit,:gen-- era-11ydesisnatedl A, hasa. detachable motorunit, generally designated. Br, mounted thereon,. and is provided with aswingable; prop: unit designated C. The conveyor unit A comprises: a.meta-1- framel. extending. substantially-thelength of the conveyor unitand carrying the side menu-- bers 25 securedto; the main. frame: I andangularly disposed with reference; to said; mainframe as shownbest. in.Figure 3; The frame. I and side members 2: support. the: endlessbe1t.-3'whi ehisthe web; I0

2 driven so as to run lengthwise of the conveyor unit A by suitablemeans including the motor unit B, belt 4, and chain drive 5.

The motor unit B is mounted upon suitable supporting membersfiseeuredtothe niain name I. The rear end of the conveyor unitisprovldedi with a hopper i and a skid plate 8 for supporting that endof the conveyor unit upon theground;

The swingable prop unit C comprises a hanger member 9 formed of sheetmetal to provide a; transverseweb' portion it and singularly disposedside portions ii and i2 provided with the outwardly flanged portionsH01; and 12a. The side portions Li and II of the hanger 9 are of gorally triangular shape, of greater width at the T upper edges andtapering" down to a narrower-' width'at their lower edges' adjacenttnelower'ex tremity of the hanger member ii. The hanger 9 is-pivo-tallymounted on a cross shaft F3 entering: ing transversely of aridcarried bythe main time member I.- Shait l t also extends through certain of themotor supporting members it to: provide a more rigid" mounting of theshaft Is to frame of the'c'onveyor. The ends or said. shat-t: t3 extendthrough. apertures'in' the side portions H and t2 inthe hanger 9t saidapertures being located theupper corners or said sideportions' adjacentthe webI nition l0; Thecornersofrthe side portions: H andlzcontainingthe apertures receiving the ends of the shaft is extend;above the upper edge or the web portion was will be clearly seen fromthe drawing. reintorcin'gi cross brace memberl li extends across theweld flli adjacent theupper' edge thereof said crossbra; bi being weldedor otherwise suitably secured to! Welded. or otherwise suitably securedto the. bottom; edge. or the hanger dis a cro'ssbrace mem her Hi towhich are similarly secured the U shaped-wheel: carrying bracket membersit and I1. Wheels Hi and 19 are! rotatably carrfed by the latter."braoket'-'members; t6 and. li'by meansi of: suitable axles 20 ami 2t.extending; between thesides; of. said bracket members; [6 and tlo lFromthelowerend ofthe'ha-nger' QFthereentendSl lower end of the hanger,so that when the swinging prop unit C is in the position of Figure 2 andsubsequently disengaged from the locking member 23, the said swingingprop unit will swing to the position illustrated by Figure l in whichthe axis of the wheels is disposed forwardly of the axis of pivotalconnection I3 of the hanger 9 to the frame of the conveyor.

In use the swingable prop unit C can be disposed in the positionillustrated by Figure 2 for transporting of the conveyor device upon atruck or other vehicle. The prop unit C may be locked in this positionby engagement of the hooked portion of the lock member 23 with the lug22. In this position the upper edge of the web I will engage the frameof the conveyor to prevent further clockwise swinging movement of theprop unit beyond the position shown in Figure 2; hence in the lockedposition of the prop unit as shown in Figure 2, the wheels I8 and I9when resting upon the ground will support the conveyor device in nearlyhorizontal positionthat is to say, in a lowered position in which theconveyor may be moved about supported upon its wheels and the skid plate8. Assuming that the prop unit C is in the position of Figure 2 and thatthe conveyor device is supported by the skid plate 8 and the wheels I8and I9 resting upon the ground, and that it is desired to dispose theconveyor device in the position of Figure l (which is the normalposition of the conveyor device when the same is to be used for handlingof materials to and from a truck or other vehicle), it is only necessaryto disengage the lock member 23 from its connection with the lug 22 andthen raise the forward end of the conveyor to approximately the positionoccupied in Figure 1. Under such conditions the prop C will swing fromthe position of Figure 2 to the position illustrated by Figure 1, inwhich the wheels I8 and I9 resting on the ground will support thecarrier device in raised position. Now when it is desired to dispose theprop unit in collapsed condition of Figure 2, and assuming the conveyordevice is in the position illustrated in Figure 1, it is only necessaryto raise the forward end of the conveyor device so that the same issupported upon the ground only by the skid plate 8 and. so that the propC will swing free from engagement of the wheels I8 and IS with theground. Under such conditions, the wheels being forwardly of the pivotalaxis I3, the prop C will swing to a position in which the wheels arerearwardly of the pivotal axis I3, and if the forward end of theconveyor is at such latter time lowered so that the wheels I8 and I9engage the ground, the prop unit will collapse to the condition ofFigure 2 with the wheels I8 and I9 closely adjacent the conveyor frame,and thus the conveyor device is disposed in lowered position supportedupon the wheels I8 and I9 and the skid plate 8. In this condition thelock member 23 may be engaged with the lug 22 to maintain the prop unitin collapsed condition for transporting of the conveyor device upon thecarrier vehicle.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the upper edge of .the webI0, or that edge adjacent the pivotal axis I3, together with the crossplate I4, provides engaging means engaging the frame of the conveyor forlimiting the swinging movement of the prop in either direction about thepivotal axis I3. In this connection it may also be noted that thisengaging or limiting means is disposed adjacent to and below the pivotalaxis N of the prop and to one side of the vertical plane of said pivotalaxis in the direction of swinging movement of the prop. This permits theprop to swing to the position of Figure l in which the lower end of theprop is disposed slightly forwardly of the pivotal axis I4 forsupporting the conveyor in a raised position and also permits the propto swing to the position of Figure 2 in which the lower end of the propis disposed a considerable distance rearwardly of the pivotal axis I3for the collapsed or folded condition of the prop.

It may be noted that the conveyor device is of very light-weightconstruction, rendering same easily manipulatable and portable by one ortwo persons. Manipulation of the conveyor to swing the prop C to eitherof its primary positions will usually consist of raising the forward endof the conveyor device, with the rear end of the conveyor supported bythe skid plate resting on the ground, and when the prop C is free of theground, a quick upward or downward shaking movement may be imparted tothe forward end of the conveyor to assist the swinging movement of theprop, and as soon as the prop C swings approximately to one of itsprimary positions, the forward end of the conveyor is lowered so thatthe wheels I8 and I9 contact the ground, and the weight of the conveyorwill then carry the prop fully to the desired position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a portable materials handling conveyor unit of the classdescribed, in combination, a conveyor including a frame, a propswingably mounted on the frame for free swinging movement below theframe in either direction toward either of the opposite ends of theframe, engaging means on the prop to engage the frame at one point tohold the prop in upright condition for supporting the frame in elevatedposition and to engage the frame at another point when the prop is swungtoward the other end of the frame for supporting the frame in a loweredposition, and wheels on the free end of the prop to support the frame ineither raised or lowered position.

2. In a portable materials handling conveyor unit of the classdescribed, in combination, a conveyor including a frame and having acharging end and a discharging end, a swingable prop pivotally connectedto said frame intermediate said charging and discharging ends to hangbelow the conveyor for free swinging movement relative thereto forsupporting the same with respect to a surface on which it is disposed,either in a position with the discharge end raised or in a position withthe discharge end lowered, and engaging means on said prop engageablewith said frame at one point to limit the swinging movement of the proprelative to said frame in the direction of the discharge end to aposition in which the lower end of the prop is disposed between itspivotal axis and the discharge end for supporting said conveyor in saidraised position, said engaging means being engageable with said frame atanother point to limit swinging movement of the prop in the oppositedirection toward the charging end to a position in which the lower endof the prop is disposed adjacent the frame for supporting said conveyorin said lowered position.

3. A portable conveyor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the prop ispivotally connected to the frame, said prop having a weighted portioneccentric to the pivotal axis thereof tending to counterbalance the freeend of the prop and cause swinging movement thereof toward its saidupright condition.

4. A portable conveyor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the prop ispivotally connected to the frame and comprises side portions ofgenerally greater width at the ends thereof adjacent the pivotal axis ofthe prop and tapering to a narrow width at the free ends of said sideportions whereby to provide said prop with weighted portions eccentricto said pivotal axis tending to counterbalance the free end of the propand cause swinging movement thereof toward its said upright condition.

5. In a portable materials handling conveyor unit of the classdescribed, in combination, a conveyor including a frame, a propswingably mounted on the frame for free swinging movement below theframe in either direction toward either of the opposite ends of theframe, said prop comprising transversely spaced side members and atransversely extending cross member interconnecting said side membersbelow the frame and disposed adjacent to but spaced from the swingingmounting of the prop to engage the frame at one point to hold the propin upright condition for supporting the frame in elevated position andto engage the frame at another point when the prop is swung toward theother end of the frame for supporting the frame in a lowered position,and wheels on the free end of the prop to support the frame in eitherraised or lowered position.

EARL H. ENSINGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,111,525 Coppock Sept. 22, 19141,421,492 Kapferer July 4, 1922 1,504,244 Howell Aug. 12, 1924 1,573,186Nipstrom et al. Feb. 16, 1926 1,626,993 Williams May 3, 1927 1,794,630Linn Mar. 3, 1931 2,144,360 Buckbee Jan. 1'7, 1939 2,427,114 ArnettSept. 9, 1947

